Submarine weed cutting apparatus



April 27, 1943. G, c, FOERSTgR 2,317,367

SUBMARINE WEED CUTTING APPARATUS OTTIII In ventor Gus/av Ee rJ/r April 1943- G. c. FQERSTER SUBMARINE WEED CUTTING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Qasfay E rs U Mmm April, 4 G. c. FQERSTER 2,317,367

SUBMARINE WEED CUTTING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 4, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet s Inventor Attorney April 1943- G. c. FOERSTER 2,317,367

SUBMARINE vWEED CUTTING APPARATUS Filed Nov.' 4, 1940 4 sheets-sheet 4 I I I A iiorney In venior Patented Apr. 27, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE SUBMARINE WEED CUTTIN G APPARATUS Gustav C. Foerster, Milwaukee, Wis.

Application November 4, 1940, Serial No. 364,301

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in apparatus for cutting weeds below the surface of shallow lakes and inland waters, and has for its primary object to provide a floating apparatus of this character provided with a reciprocating saw or cutter at one end thereof and adapted for adjustably supporting ,below the surface of the Water whereby to cut the growth of weeds and grass growing beneath the surface.

An important object of the present invention is tooprovide an endless chain and sprocket drive mechanism operatively connected with the saw or cutter for reciprocally actuating the same.

A still further object is to provide novel means for raising and lowering the cutter into the water at the desired depth, when desired.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus of this character of simple and practical construction, which is eflicient and reliable in performance, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same isintended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan view,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view,

Figure 3 is a rear end elevational View,

Figure 4 is a front elevational view,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail of the connector between the endless chain and the cable connecting the chain to the saw,

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view of the sprocket chain and cable connector for the saw,

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view through one of the guides for the cable,

Figure 8 is a detail of one of the connectors for the saw and the cable,

Figure 9 is a sectional view through one of the pulley supports for the cable.

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on a line l-l0 of Figure 2,

Figure 11 is a detail of a pair of the guide rollers for the cable, with the rollers shown in section, and

Figure 12 is a detail of a modified drive connection for the drive chain.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, the numeral designates a plurality of floats on which a deck or platform 6 is supported. Suitably secured to the upper surface of the deck,

adjacent the side edges thereof, is a U-shaped bracket 1 havin a pin 8 journalled therein, one end of the pin projecting outwardly from the bracket and provided with a collar 9, the pin providing a swivel mounting for the collar. A pipe I 0 is supported by the collar at each side of the float and spaced outwardly therefrom as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings. At the outer end of each of the pipes I0 is a pulley housing I I having a pulley I 2 mounted therein on a vertically disposed pin I3. The pulley housings II are disposed outwardly at one end of the float and are rigidly connected to each other by a spacing bar I4.

Trained over. each of the pulleys I2 is a cable I5 connected at each end to a saw blade l6 by means of a pair of clamping plates IT, as is shown to advantage in Figure 8 of the drawings.

At the inner end of each of the pipes I0 is a pulley housing I8 in which a pulley I9 is rotatably mounted on a vertically extending pin 20. At the inner edge of the housin I8 is a bracket 2I rotatably supporting a pair of rollers 22 in spaced relation, the rollers having grooves 23 therein for receiving the cable I5 between the rollers.

As shown to advantage in Figure 1 of the drawings, the cable I5 extends from the saw I6 around the pulleys I2 at the opposite sides of the float and through the pipes I0 and then around the pulleys l9 and between the rollers 22 in an inward direction.

The inner ends of the cables i5 are then attached to a rod 24 by means of a suitable cable clamp 25, one of the rods 24 being provided for eachend of the cable as shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, each of the rods 24 being slidably mounted in a guide 26 rising from the deck 6.

The rods 24 are disposed horizontally above the deck and extend transversely thereof, the inner ends of the rods having a short cable 21 attached thereto, the cables l5 and 21, together with the saw I6 and the rods 24 interposed therein providing an endless construction.

To an intermediate portion of the cable 21 is attached a carrier 28, the carrier being provided with a split edge 29 within which the cable is positioned and secured thereto by means of bolts 30. The carrier is provided at opposite sides with attaching lugs 3| for attaching to a pair of chains 32 positioned parallel at opposite sides of the carrier, the chains being arranged in parallel relation, each of the chains being trained over a pair of sprockets 33 rotatably mounted at the crank 4'5,

upper ends of bearing supports 34 rising from the float.

The lower flight of the chain is operatively engaged by a drive sprocket 33 supported on a post 36 rising from the float, the drive sprocket being positioned below the chain as shown in Figure 3 of the drawings. The drive sprockets for each of the chains 32 are operated by a shaft 31 from a power plant shown generally at 38 supported on the float 6. The power plant may be in the form of an internalcombustion engine as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, or the power plant may be in the form of an electric motor as shown in Figure 12 of the drawings.

When the electric motor is provided as shown at 39 for driving the chains, the shaft 40 con nected to the motor is provided with gears 4| engaging gears 42 on the shaft of the sprockets 33.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the chains 32 are continuously operated and the carrier 28 in traveling along the upper and lower flights of the chains will reciprocably actuate the cables Z'l and I5 whereby to reciprocably actuate the saw iii in a direction transversely across the end of the float 6.

The saw It may be vertically adjusted to raise or lower the same to the proper depth in the water by means of a pair of cables 43 adapted to be wound on drums 4d journalled in a frame 45 rising from the central portion of the float, the drums being operated by gears 46 and a hand The cables 43 extend oppositely toward opposite sides of the float over pulleys 48 supported in brackets 49 adjacent the side edges of the float, the outer ends of the cable being attached to collars 5i) secured to the pipes In.

As shown to advantage in Figure 2 of the draw ing the cables 43 are attached to the pipe I8 in advance of the swivelly supported collars 9.

Also secured to the pipes Ill is an upwardly projecting inclined blade 5| by means of collars 52, the blade constituting a weed straightener in advance of the saw. The blades 5| are positioned adjacent the outer ends of the pipes l0 so that the same may be lowered into the water for lifting fallen weedsas the float passes through the water for more efiectively cutting the same by the saw. 1

In the operation of the device, the float is towed or otherwise moved through the water with the saw positioned at the rear or stern of the float, the saw supporting pipe l0 being lowered by the cable 43 to a desired depth. The power plant operates to drive the endless chain 32, to which the cables l5 leading to the opposite ends of the saw are attached, the passing of the'carrier 28 for the cables along the upper and lower flights of the chain producing the desired reciprocating action for the saw.

It is believed the details of construction, manner of operation and advantages of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. A submarine weed cutter comprising a float, a pair of cutter supporting arms, means pivotal- 1y supporting the arms to the float, a cutter reciprocably carried between the arms at the outer ends thereof, flexible means carried by the arms for movement longitudinally thereof and attached to the cutter at each end thereof to form an endless member, means for driving the flex ible means for reciprocably actuating the cutter and means for raising and lowering the arms.

2. A submarine weed cutter comprising a float, a pair of tubular arms, means pivotally supporting the arins'intermediate their ends with one end of .the arms projecting beyond one end of the float, a flexible member extending through the arms and movable longitudinally thereof, a cutter positioned transversely between the arms and connected to said flexible member at the outor ends of the arms to form an endless drive for the cutter and drive means for the flexible memher for reciprocably actuating the cutter,

3. A submarine weed cutter comprising a float, a pair of tubular arms, means pivotally supporting the arms intermediate their ends withone end of the arms projecting beyond oneend of the float, a flexible member extending through the arms and movable longitudinally thereof, a cutter positioned transversely between the arms and connected to said flexible member at theouter ends of the arms to form an endless drive forthe cutter, drive means for the flexible member for reciprocably actuating the cutter and means for raising and lowering the outer ends of the arms.

4. A submarine weed cutter comprisinga float, a pair of tubular arms, means pivotally supporting the arms intermediate their ends with one end of the arms projecting beyond oneend of the float, a flexible member extending through the arms and movable longitudinally thereof, a cutter positioned transversely between the arms and connected to said flexible member atthe outer ends of the arms to form an endless drive for the cutter, an endless power driven chain mounted on the float, means connecting the flex ible member at the inner ends of the arms tothe chain for reciprocablyactuating the cutterand means for raising and lowering the outer ends of the arms.

5. A weed cutting mechanism comprising a cutting blade, an endless drivemember having upper and lower flights moving in opposite directions, a carrier attached to said member for movement with the flights, means connectingrthe ends of the blade to the carrier forreciprocating actuation of the blade, guides for said'nieans and an adjustable supportfor the cutter ,andsaid guides.

GUSTAV c. our-terns. 

